This invention relates to a weapon barrel formed by an inner barrel (hereafter liner) and a protecting outer barrel (hereafter jacket) surrounding the liner.
Weapon barrels of the above-outlined type are known, for example, from German Offenlegungsschriften (applications published without examination) No. 19 18 422 and No. 30 46 639 as well as German Patent No. 30 05 117. The jacket which conventionally coaxially surrounds the liner is intended to protect the liner mostly from outer thermal stresses such as sun, rain or wind to thus prevent a deformation (bending) of the liner because of non-homogenous temperature conditions. A non-uniform heating of the liner and a bending deformation coupled therewith as a result of firing the weapon, however, is not prevented in a satisfactory manner by the conventional jackets.
According to German Patent No. 32 19 124 a non-uniform heating of the liner resulting from firing the weapon is reduced by providing heating elements at the outer wall of the liner. The heating elements are regulated by an evaluating and control device connected to temperature sensors.
The above-outlined conventional weapon barrel is disadvantageous, among others, in that additional components are required for measuring the barrel temperature and for regulating or heating the weapon barrel. Further, energy is needed for actuating the heating elements and the additional components which are arranged at the liner, have to be designed to withstand acceleration forces during recoil especially in case of large-caliber weapon barrels.